YOSEMITE: TEACHING THE IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH A VIRTUAL FIELD TRIP

The benefit of field trips is undeniable— however, growing class sizes and high costs make the logistics of organizing a real on-location field trip challenging. This gives rise to the concept of a virtual field trip (VFT) which can provide a field trip proxy. The current generation of students entering college are digital natives and connected 24/7 allowing them to easily navigate a VFT. These students also tend to have short attention spans making it that much more important to incorporate field trips into the curriculum to keep students engaged. While not a complete replacement for a real field trip, VTFs can offer an interactive alternative to a traditional lecture. Importantly, successful VTFs have proven to be comparable to real life field trips in educating students.

Our VFT takes place within Yosemite National Park and showcases the rich geologic history and iconic geomorphology of the park describing the effects of climate change via a roadside geology style field trip app. The app is targeted towards 101 level geology students as well as the general public who visit the National Parks. The story is told through three chapters with various stops in Yosemite Valley (e.g. Yosemite Falls, Mirror Lake), along Tioga Road (e.g. Olmstead Point, Fairview Dome) and additional stops on the outer roads (e.g. Hetch Hetchy, Glacier Point). As the user reaches a stop in the chapter, the app will use GPS to trigger a narration explaining the processes that formed the geology of the area. The user can pull over to the side of the road and the app will offer pictures, figures and overlays to further explain the geologic processes and effects of climate change. In the classroom, the app can be used as a standalone interactive VFT without GPS triggers. We believe that an easily accessible VFT can teach and inspire a new generation of students entering college as well as educate the general public about climate change and the rich geologic history of Yosemite National Park.